The Way I Loved You
by AThousandTimesMore
Summary: Miley watched her leave, wondering if she had made the right choice. Liley one-shot


_**Here's another one-shot. Sorry I was so late in posting this. Enjoy!!!**_

"I can't believe you would do this to me!" Miley screamed, tears streaming down her face along with her makeup. Her hair was wild, sticking up out of the neat ponytail it had been in only an hour before. "You…you're the most horrible person in the world! I hate you! Don't ever speak to me again! I never want to see you again!"

Lilly gaped at her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "But…" she started.

"Don't you even start!" the brunette screamed, talking a step forward as Lilly took a fearful step backwards. "Oh, don't you dare start trying to sweet talk me into forgiving you! Because it happens like this every time! And you can't even contradict that because you know that you'd be lying to me! What was it this time, Lilly? Were you hanging out at the skate park? At the beach with your friends? With _Thalia?_"

"No, don't you dare bring her up," Lilly growled.

"So you _were_ with Thalia," Miley said.

"You know I wasn't," Lilly said angrily. "I would never, ever do that to you and you know that. Sure, I was an hour late for our date, but I would never, _ever_ cheat on you. She's my friend, Miley. My _friend_. Why can't you seem to get that? I don't get mad at you when you hang out with Sarah…"

"She's straight and she's dating Oliver!" Miley yelled.

"That isn't the point!" Lilly yelled back. She threw the bouquet of flowers she had been holding in her hand to the ground. "Every time I do something even the slightest bit wrong, I get in trouble for it! Even when I try to explain to you! When I go the extra mile by buying you flowers or chocolates, or when I call in sick so I can spend a day with you here, the only thing I get is criticism. Never a 'thank you' or an 'I love you.' Why do you always have to think about yourself?"

"_I_ always think about myself?" Miley scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think that there's something wrong with this picture, Lillian."

"Oh, so it's full names now, Miley Ray Stewart?" Lillian retorted.

"I hate you," Miley growled.

"Good, because I hate you, too," Lilly said.

"And I don't want this, anymore," Miley said, angrily pulling a ring off her right ring finger and throwing it at Lilly's feet.

The blonde opened her mouth to retaliate, but quickly closed it when she saw the ring at her feet. She closed her mouth and slowly got to her knees to pick up the ring. It was pure silver with a two heart design, the hearts intertwined with each other, joining at a small, pink sapphire in the middle. Miley hadn't taken it off since Lilly had given it to her three months ago when they had officially become girlfriends.

Lilly looked up at Miley with tears in her eyes and groped for the bouquet of flowers on the ground, holding them against her body awkwardly. "I…I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down at the ground. "I…I should have been a better girlfriend. And I hope you find someone who treats you better than I have. I won't say that I hope that we can still be friends, because I know we won't. All I can say is good luck."

Miley watched her leave, wondering if she had done the right thing.

* * *

There was a knock on the door and Miley slid across the floor as she tried to stop before she ran into the front door. Stopping just in time, she tried to fix her hair in the small mirror on the back of the door before reaching for the handle and opening it to reveal a handsome senior standing on her doorstep.

"Hi, Jon," she said with a smile on her face. "Do you wanna come in?"

"Is your dad home?" he asked cautiously, one hand held behind his back.

"Um, yeah, he's in the kitchen," Miley said, a confused expression on her face. "Why?"

"I just don't want to get either of us in trouble for being in your house alone," he explained, stepping inside. He shut the door behind him and slipped out of his shoes, pulling his hand out from behind his back and offering Miley a bouquet of flowers. The brunette's throat tightened as she remembered the last person who had come to her house to give her flowers…

"Oh, wow, these are beautiful," Miley gasped, shaking the thought from her head as she took the flowers from him and smelled them. "Did you pick them out?"

Jon smiled and nodded. "Yeah, but their beauty could never match yours."

Miley blushed, looking back down at the flowers. "I'm, uh, going to go put these in a vase," she said quietly. "Do you want to come with me? The vase is in the kitchen. Then my dad can talk to you and we'll head out, if that's okay with you."

"Of course," Jon said, following her as she padded into the kitchen. "Did I mention you look beautiful tonight?"

"Really, Jon, you need to stop complimenting her or she's going to turn permanently red," Mr. Stewart said as they walked into the kitchen. He stepped out from behind the island and reached out his hand, firmly shaking Jon's hand as Miley hurried over to the sink and pulled a vase from the cabinet underneath. "Where're you two going tonight?"

"Well, I'm going to take her out to dinner at the new Italian restaurant that's opening tonight and then I'm going to take her to the drive-in theater, if that's okay with you, sir," Jon said, his hand dropping to his side when Mr. Stewart let go of it. "I know her curfew is midnight, but I was wondering if you would extend it by an hour to let us finish the movie at the drive-in."

"That sounds like a reasonable request," Mr. Stewart said with a small smile. "You take care of my little girl, Jon. I like you, and you _have_ been dating her for five months, now, but I still worry about her sometimes. Keep a close eye on her."

"I will, sir," he said. "Thank you for trusting us so much."

For some reason, it sickened Miley to hear that her dad trusted Jon that much. It wasn't that she didn't like him. She had to like him since she had been dating him for five months. But she felt like there was something missing.

"Miley, are you okay?" her dad asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"No, no, I'm fine," she said quickly, filling the vase she had been holding in her hands with water and arranging the bouquet of flowers in it. She set it in the middle of the kitchen table and walked over to Jon, kissing him lightly on the lips. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," he murmured.

"Okay, you too get outta here," Mr. Stewart said, shooing them with his hands as a small smile appeared on his face. "Have fun and be safe."

"Thank you again, Mr. Stewart," Jon said as Miley laced their fingers together and lead him back to the front hall. She slipped into her heels and he held out her jacket for her, helping her get it on before he put his own shoes on. He hurried to the door, holding it open for her and following her out. When they got to his car, he opened the door for her again and closed it behind her. She buckled up as he got in and he slowly backed out of the driveway, carefully driving down the street.

"How did you do on your history test today?" Jon asked, glancing over at her before looking back at the road.

"I think I got an A," she said. "But I didn't know about question number nine…"

"The answer wad D," Jon said automatically. "And I'm sure you got an A. You always do. I don't know why I even ask anymore."

"Thank you," she murmured.

They pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and Jon turned to Miley as she reached to unbuckle herself. "Miley, I would like to ask you something, and I want you to answer me honestly, okay? Just hear me out before you say anything."

Miley nodded, swallowing nervously. He was going to break up with her.

"We've been dating for five months, now, and I feel like we've crossed a line from just being in a relationship to being in a very serious, committed relationship," he said. "And I wanted to ask you…I want to ask you if you'll wear this ring on your right-hand ring finger to show that you're in a committed relationship with me. I love you, Miley, and I want to show you that I'm serious about us."

He pulled out a gold ring with a small ruby in it and she knew it was real. She remembered the last time someone had asked her this same question, almost in the exact same way…

"Yes," she whispered, holding out her hand, and he slid the ring on her finger, bringing it to his mouth and kissing it lightly.

Miley wondered if she had made the right choice.

* * *

Miley faked a smile, kissing Jon lightly on the cheek. It had been two months since she had accepted the promise ring from him and ever since then, she had been feeling more and more uneasy about their relationship. It wasn't that she didn't love him, because she did, but her love for him was becoming more of a love for a brother rather than a boyfriend. She wanted something else. Something _more_. The only problem was, she couldn't figure it out.

She waited for Jon to ask her what was wrong. Why she was faking her smile. But he didn't say anything because he didn't notice. He headed for his student council meeting while Miley walked towards her group of friends clustered by her locker.

"I don't see why you're unhappy," Leah said as Miley spun the dial on her lock, clicking it open and opening her locker. "Jon is perfect. He brings you flowers on every date, takes you out to the best restaurants, always calls you…"

"Leah, please, I don't want to talk about it," Miley whispered, digging her books out of the bottom of her locker and putting them in her bag.

"But…"

"Hey, why don't you guys head out," Sarah said quickly. "You can get us a table at the café and Miley and I will catch up. I wanted to ask her about this math homework."

"Okay," Abby said, and the three other girls walked away, chattering animatedly.

"Thanks," Miley sighed, leaning her forehead against her closed locker.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sarah asked gently. "You can talk to me about anything, you know that, right? I would never tell anyone anything you didn't want me to."

"Yeah, I think I would like that," Miley said. "I'm breaking up with Jon."

Sarah nodded understandingly and Miley looked at her with a surprised expression on her face when she didn't start telling her that she shouldn't break up with Jon. "Wait, aren't you going to tell me that Jon is the most perfect boyfriend in the world and that I'm stupid for wanting to break up with him?" she asked.

"No, because, personally, I think Oliver is the most perfect boyfriend in the world," Sarah said gently. "And I can tell that you aren't happy. Honestly, I think you've been stupid for keeping this relationship going for so long. You don't love him, not like a boyfriend, and it's been obvious to me for a long time. I just didn't want to tell you that I knew because I wasn't sure that you knew yourself."

"I've been an idiot," Miley muttered.

"No, you've been heartbroken," Sarah said with a small smile on her face. "There's a big difference between being an idiot and heartbroken."

"Why would I be heartbroken?" Miley asked.

"Lilly," Sarah said simply. Miley stared at her. "Look, I'm going to call the girls and tell them that something came up and we won't be making it. I think it's time for you to break up with Jon and then…consider your options."

Miley sighed. "I think you're right," she whispered.

* * *

"What do you mean that you don't love me like a boyfriend anymore?" Jon asked, a confused expression on his face as Miley held out the ring he had given to her. "Have I…have I done anything wrong? Is it something I said?"

"No, Jon, you've been perfect," Miley said. "It isn't you at all. It's me. And I'm sorry. You're a really good guy, and I love you, just more as a brother than a boyfriend. You deserve someone who can love you better than I can. I wish that this didn't have to happen, but I don't want to lead you on. Thank you for being so amazing to me."

He smiled slightly and took the ring back, pocketing it. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "You know I'll always be here if you ever need to talk, right?" he asked.

"God, I don't deserve a friend like you," she whispered.

"Yeah, you do, you're an amazing girl," he said, tucking a stray piece of her hair behind her ear. "And I love you. I always will. But if you aren't happy dating me, I'm just going to have to accept that and get over it. And I want to thank you for giving me a chance."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you," Miley whispered.

"Don't bother," he said, laughing lightly. "And good luck."

"You too," she said quietly.

"I guess this is it then," Jon said.

"Yeah," she said awkwardly. She took a step back and went to turn around. Miley was halfway down the hall when Jon called after her.

"Hey, can I ask you one thing?" Jon asked, making her turn to face him again.

"Of course," she said.

"Is it Lilly?"

The brunette sighed and nodded. "Yeah," she whispered. "It's Lilly."

* * *

Miley stood on the doorstep of a large, white house, staring at the familiar door. She shouldn't be so nervous, but no matter how many times she told herself to just knock or ring the doorbell, she just couldn't do it. It should have been easy for her. This was the house of her best friend from fifth grade to eleventh grade. The house she ran to whenever she had a problem. The house of her former girlfriend. It was Lilly's house.

After twenty minutes of staring at Lilly's front door, Miley finally turned around and walked out into the rain towards her house two blocks over. She couldn't do this. Lilly would never take her back. Not after what Miley had done to her. And she was stupid for ever fooling herself into believing that the blonde still loved her.

"Hey, did you want something?"

The brunette turned around to see Lilly standing in her open doorway in a pair of basketball shorts and a tank top.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter anymore," Miley said.

They stood there awkwardly, Miley standing in the rain and getting even more wet with every passing second and Lilly standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"I heard that you and Jon aren't together anymore," Lilly said after a few moments of awkward silence. "He's an idiot for breaking up with you."

Somehow, Miley was able to squeeze words up her constricted throat. "He didn't break up with me," she said.

"Oh," Lilly said, her eyes widening. "I'm sorry, I heard…"

"I broke up with him," Miley finished.

Lilly stood there in a shocked silence. "Oh, I…but why?"

"Because I realized I didn't love him like that," Miley said. "I realized that there was something missing from our relationship. He was always nice and perfect, and he was always on time for the dates he asked me out on." Lilly winced, looking down. "And he always called when he said he was going to. My dad loved him, my brother loved him, heck, even all my friends loved him. But he wasn't it."

"Can I ask why?" Lilly said.

"Because he was never the one for me," Miley said, starting to cry. "And I missed out on the person I want to be with."

"And who is that?" Lilly whispered, looking hopeful.

"You."

There was another, much longer, silence.

"Why?"

"Because you never did what I wanted you to do just because I told you to do it," Miley said quickly. "You never did what I expected you to do. I mean, you were the most spontaneous and unpredictable person in the world. There was never a dull moment in our relationship. Even when we were fighting there was this…this feeling I had in my chest that just made me love you even more. Lilly, I…I love you. I always have and I always will."

Lilly ran towards her, almost knocking her over when they collided. The blonde wrapped her arms around Miley's waist, pulling her closer as the brunette wrapped her arms around Lilly's waist. Miley moaned as Lilly crashed their lips together, both of them getting soaked as the heavens seemed to open up and dump a whole ocean of water on them.

"This is what I missed," Miley said, breathing heavily as they pulled away from each other. "And I'm so, so sorry…"

"No, don't apologize," Lilly whispered, kissing her gently. "Not right now."

Their lips met in another fierce kiss as the rain continued to pour down.

_**So, tell me what you think. Thank you to Taylor Swift for the song**_** 'The Way I Loved You,'**_** which is what this story is based on. One more thing, I'm looking to add some more music to my music list. Music of any genre is great, and I mean any genre. Classical, jazz, country, anything. (I'm a little hesitant about rap and screamo, but if you think it's good, go ahead and give it to me. And try to hold off on the newest hits, I've got most of those.) Just put your music suggestions in your review. Thank you all so much for taking time to read and review my stories. I really appreciate it.**_

_**AThousandTimesMore**_


End file.
